Books like Illumination in the Flatwoods: A Season with the Wild Turkey

This is an unexpectedly beautiful book. I noticed that a show based on the book was to be aired on PBS the day before Thanksgiving and decided to read the book before watching. (Here is something about the PBS show: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episod... ) The book began as a sort of journal or field notes of the author's experience in raising wild turkeys as their 'mother' , from imprinting on them as they hatched, through their first year or so until they moved on into their adult lives. One of the male birds stuck around and an epilogue tells of the author's further experiences with him. As the book progresses, it becomes more of a meditation on life and nature. The author is a sensitive,skilled writer. Although his story is focused on the turkeys, his writing and beautifully executed sketches of the creatures he observed will go right to your heart. I felt as though I were living the year with him, vicariously. He really positions himself as one of the turkeys, writing as though he moves through the world at their level, as much as he is able. He freely admits that he is not always capable of being in the moment in the way they are, and he bemoans this human defect.He speaks of the turkey's ancient heritage, saying, " 'Antiquity' does not necessarily imply that which is primitive. To the contrary, biological systems tend to become more sophisticated and well tuned over time." (pg. 130) In noting how the human development of language affects our consciousness, he says, "...science appears to be describing an existential consciousness, an awareness of self that can ultimately alienate one entirely from the rest of the universe, creating a sense of isolation, vulnerability, and mortality---the existential human dilemma. This could be uniquely human, a result of highly developed language-based brain function. Human existential alienation seems to be in opposition to a fully conscious and nonverbal experience...Perhaps in our whirlwind evolutionary journey we have misplaced a vital aspect of our being that we would do well to recover." (p. 131)Besides his larger themes, it was just interesting to learn a bit about turkeys. I didn't know they were sensitive to color. (He generally wore faded blue, which they liked.) I also didn't know that they are quite intelligent, perhaps more so than crows. The author always speaks as though he is a turkey too, saying things like 'we are foraging..' I thought this observation was amusing: " I feel a little like an anthropologist who, after attempting to be an impartial observer of an exotic culture, finds himself instead becoming acculturated and confused about his own social identity. I haven't started eating grasshoppers yet, but the smooth green ones, I notice, are beginning to look attractive." (p. 187)Reading this book is like taking a journey on the wild side with Mr. Hutto as your able guide.